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Wednesday Roundup — March 14, 2018

News Roundups are posted every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning with quick hits on what you may have missed and what is still to come in The Beautiful Game.

Here’s what you may have missed, what is developing, and what is still to come. Here’s to helping bring you, the fan, up to speed, Ahead of the Game, and most importantly, get you over the Wednesday hump.

On Monday, the Philadelphia Unionannounced the signing of Cormac Dooley as the club’s first ever eSports player.

Dooley, 17, is a native of West Chester and was the grand prize winner of the Union’s recent Esports Open tournament, which featured over 100 gamers from the Greater Philadelphia region.

Dooley, who goes by the gamertag Doolsta, will represent the Union in the upcoming eMLS Cup at PAX East Boston, which runs from April 5 to 8.

Major League Soccer

MLS and Liga MX Announce All-Star Game, Campeones Cup

On Tuesday, Major League Soccer and Liga MX announced a long-term partnership, which is headlined by a new tournament between the champions of both leagues and an all-star game.

Joseph Named Grenada International Team Manager

Former MLS and New England Revolution legend Shalrie Joseph was named the next head coach of the Grenada national team on Wednesday. Joseph made over 20 appearances for Grenada in his playing career.

US Soccer

Friedel, Bocanegra, and Henry Candidates For National Soccer Hall of Fame

Brad Friedel, Carlos Bocanegra and Thierry Henry headline the list of first-year eligible candidates whom have been nominated for the National Soccer Hall of Fame’s Class of ’18.

Joining them on the list is former New York Red Bulls’ striker Juan Pablo Angel, and United States’ internationals Bobby Convey, Jay DeMerit, Stuart Holden, and Eddie Johnson.

In order to be considered, a player must have played a minimum of 20 full international games for the United States — 10 if the games were played before 1990 — or have played at least five seasons in an American first-division professional league and been selected as an All-Star at least once.

Global

Manchester United Knocked Out By Sevilla

Old Trafford was a Theater of Nightmares for Manchester United, who were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League competition on Wednesday to visiting Sevilla (Spain).

Sevilla’s Wissam Ben Yedder struck twice to down United 2-1 and send the Spanish club into the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time.

It was a result that certainly had Philly Football Daily contributors Cal Dymowski and Noah Barnes grinning from ear to ear.

And now to the news that truly matters:

Uruguayan Club Sanctioned For Kicking Chickens

Football can be an unpredictable beast.

On Tuesday, the Uruguayan Football Association handed sanctions to first-division club Fenix after two chickens were let loose on the pitch in a game against Racing on Sunday.

AP Photo/Mauricio CastilloAP Photo/Mauricio Castillo

AP Photo/Mauricio Castillo

Fenix club director Gaston Alegari is now the target of criticism from animal rights groups and fans after he violently kicked one of the two chickens off the football pitch.

Greek League Suspended Indefinitely

Kicking chickens off a pitch probably pails in comparison to bringing a gun onto one. That’s exactly what went down on Sunday, in a Greek Super League match between rivals PAOK and AEK Athens.

Following a disallowed, last-ditch goal by PAOK defender Fernando Varela, PAOK president Ivan Savvidis made his way onto the pitch wearing a handgun in a holster on his waist.

The match was subsequently abandoned as Savvidis was escorted from the field.

In response to the incident, the country’s Deputy Culture and Sports Minister Georgios Vassiliadis made the decision to cancel the Super League indefinitely.

Thanks for reading Wednesday’s News Roundup. Check back here, on Friday morning, for the latest happening in The Beautiful Game. Cheers.